To say, that I hated painting cavalry and horses, is serious understatement. It was a truly painfull job for me - a lot of painting and final effect maybe better then foot soldier but NOT THAT better to justify all efforts. But it has changed when - finally - I was able to paint horses in efficient way with satisfactory results. Of course, my way of painting horses in this scale isn't the only one. It is certainly not the best, some people paint horses much quickier and with much better results. Still, it suits me and miniature is painted to a standard slightly better then tabletop, which is usually my goal. Sometimes I use second method, using airbrush, especially when painting bigger groups, but this tutorial doesn't cover it. I may write such tutorial in the future though.

All photos are little larger then I usually use on the blog, they are bigger when clicked on.

Nothing too hard or unusual. Miniature is thoroughly cleaned from all imperfections, mould lines, etc. Then I wash miniature with water and soap and glue it to the temporary base (using hot glue), which I hold at my hand during painting. In this case such base is just plastic cap from soda bottle. It has just a right size, as I can reach all surfaces without any problem. In this step I try to fit horses and riders too - most producers make horses and riders fitting each other in most basic way, but "most basic way" is not enough for me. When I paint a unit or element of horsemen in 15 mm scale, I try to find best fit on all horses and riders. Then I file down saddles and sides of the horse to better accomodate riders. Fitting pairs are marked with the same number painted on or under the temporary base, and I can glue right rider on right horse later on. I also drill holes for pins now, as I tend to paint all riders mounted on pins - when they are painted, I just cut the pin and glue it inside this drilled hole.

Undercoat - it doesn't matter if painted with brush or airbrush. The only important thing is to make this coat even and to not obscure details by painting too thick coat. I use almost exclusively white undercoat in 15 mm scale. Read on to know why.

When the undercoat is dry I wash figure - quite abundantly - with chosen color. Personally I use Games Workshop washes usually. You can see on the photo horse painted white and washed with Agrax Earthshade. I put wash from below - with most of it left on the horse's underbelly, legs and under his head. After the wash is dry, it serves two purposes. First, it accentuates all details, making them much easier to notice and paint. Second - it gives basic shadows in some places (like underbelly). If one wants to experiment a little with color of horse's fur, different colors of the wash may be used. Much better effects of different colors will be achieved in one of the later stages though.

Basic colors. In this step I try to put even, thin coat of all basic colors. Horse visible on the photo was painted with Dark Flesh on the fur, Charadon Granite on the hoofs, saddle-cloth was painted with Enchanted Blue, reins with Red Gore, girth with Scorched Brown. In this stage one has to have clear image of finished horse in mind. Warhorse of the famous, rich warlord will have quite differnt colors then horse of the ordinary nomade warrior, for example.

Step 3 one more time - but with a slight difference, as we wash only horse fur now. It is worth to remembering, that wash used in this step will directly and strongly influence final look of finished miniature. Most universal wash is - in my opinion - Agrax Earthshade again (or earlier, stronger version, Devlan Mud). But... it is worth to experiment a little, using other colors of washes too - especially black, sepia or muted, dark red. Some combinations of colors and washes look better then others, of course, but finding them is just a matter or painting practice... and watching photos of real horses. In this step it is really important to paint wash from below - remember, we are painting final shadows in this step. All fur should be washed, but most of it should go on the lower part of the miniature.

First highlight. After washed miniature is dry we can paint our first layer of highlight colors. In fact, it can hardly be even described as highlights - we will use the same basic color, which was used for painting horse fur, with a drop or two of wash added to it, to make transition of colors less dramatic. This color is painted on all surfaces visible from above, all muscles, head, neck, upper surfaces of the legs. Final effect should look more or less like on the photo attached. Some parts of the horse fur are already visibly lighter, but transitions from shadows (made with wash) to the highlights are soft.

Another highlights. We are still painting highlights using chosen color. Horse visible on the photo was painted with mix of Dark Flesh and Bestial Brown, with more and more Bestial Brown used. Remember - paint smaller and smaller areas of raised miniature surfaces with progressively lighter shades of the highlight color. It is useful to water down our paint and to paint few very thin layers (one could even describe it as a glazing of sort). Due to numerous coats transitions of color between different layers of our highlight will be soft.

Final highlights and details. It is time for final layer of highlights, painted with almost pure highlight color - Bestial Brown in my case. Again, paint is strongly dilluted, and used only in very thin lines, accentuating muscles of the horse. In the very last layer I can even mix some muted yellow, like Iyanded Darksun, to achieve even brighter final highlight of the muscles. Then it is time for reins (Red Gore, Blood Red and Troll Slayer Orange), girdle (Schorched Brown mixed with Tuskgor Fur) and saddle-cloth - Enchanted Blue mixed with Danem Stone. I tend to NOT use white in highlights as it looks too bright and unrealistic. Horse's hoofs are washed with dilluted Nuln Oil wash. Eyes are painted with the same wash. And then just small additional details, like ornaments on the saddle-cloth or on reins. Horse is ready.

Today I would like to review two Basicks' bases, which are labelled in this company's catalogue as "Special" category. This is really good name, as their look demands some special miniatures to be put on them. Both of these bases are very rich in details, both are really full of character too. They are more minivignettes in itself, then standard scenic bases designed with wargames in mind. First base is labelled as "Display base wround, 80 mm", second name is "Dead Troll Round Base, 60 mm".

As with previously reviewed wargaming scenic bases from Basicks, these two are packaged in plastic blisters backed with cardboard with producer's logo printed on it. Additionally models inside are protected by a strip of plastic foam. I received both bases and their parts in pristine condition. Bases are casted in grey resin, with no bubbles or holes visible. Lower surfaces are sanded down flat. The only thing to remove is very thin resin foil visible on lantern pole - I tried to remove part of it and it was very easy. Sharpness of details is excellent too.

First base, desribed as "Display base", depicts part of the cobbled street, complete with pavement, gutter and storm gutter drain. Part of this base is lantern too, consisting of few resin parts and one laser cut cardboard ornament. Overall look of this base seems appropriate for XIX century - early XX century vignette. One additional detail, clearly visible on the base, is man trying to crawl out from gutter rain drain. I think this base would be ideal as a background for some horror vignette, set, for example, in Victorian London - attack of the Vampire, Jack the Ripper, werewolf hiding in the dark, just outside of the circle of light from the lantern - that kind of things...

Second base, depicting dead troll laying on the smashed down masonry, is richier in small details, as leaves or parts of stone pillars. Dead troll looks a lot like such creatures from "Lord of the Rings" or "Hobbit" movies. It is a great backgroud for miniatures of heroes from these movies. One need just to remember to make this dead troll part of the story, as he is such prominent and large part of the base. Otherwise, this dead body will dominate miniatures presented on this base.

Both bases are rather cheap - for high quality display, not wargaming bases. I think, that together with appropriate miniatures and painted according to the "feel" of the story told by the figures, they will be great addition to the collection of any figure painter.

Photo of a painted "display" base is taken from Basicks website, to illustrate how the finished base could look like.

Some manufacturers of 15 mm scale miniatures make them with spears, lances and pikes casted with the rest of the figure, some cast just hand in appropriate pose. Personally, I prefer second solution, as casted spears tend to bend and are usually way out of scale. But, how can we make nice spears? Fortunately, there are many valid options. We can use, for instance, ready made spears, like Northstar's ones. Those spears are really long, they need to be cut and they are made from very hard metal. Additionally, spear-points are very sharp (as my deeply cut thumbs may witness). Another option is relatively simple - using plastic rod of appropriate diameter, cut to the correct length - all spears and javelins in my Thracian army were made from plastic. But we need correctly sized rods. But there is another option, utilising readily available product and giving very good results too.

Photo shows pins I use - ordinary pins, which are readily available in many stores. I use only straight ones, as even slight bend is very, very visible when finished spear is glued into the figure's hand. First I cut the pin head with small pliers. All pin heads are then put in separate box, they are excellent rivets in 28 mm scale.

Next step is making spear-point. I use pliers again. I put about 3 mm length of the pin between them (sharp end) and squeeze hard. Then I repeat this three, four times until I'm satisfied with the look of the point. You can even make different shapes and length of the spear-point, by carefully manipulating pin and pliers pressure.

Just a few rhinos and infantry stands today, painted by my brother. His World Eeaters are reaching 1500 points in painted miniatures, I am still a little lower then that but first battle played with fully painted tiny "armies" is more and more realistic. Armies are still rather simplistic, with mainly apcs and infantry, with added some tanks and support vehicles. But we already have some predators and dreadnoughts, about dozen of old plastic titans, Mormeg also bought two new resin warhounds... Finally, we have to chose some ruleset and learn it in game.

Another Basicks' product which I've got, some blister of "Ancient" range bases. I've got following sets: "Ancient Bases 50x50 mm (1)", "Ancient Bases 40x40mm Flying (1)", "Ancient Bases Wround 40mm (2)" and "Ancient Bases Round 60mm (1)". As with previously reviewed bases, all of them are packed in really nice, large plastic blisters, with thin cardboard with producer's logo as a backside. This cardboard is not glued onto plastic, but - instead - slips inside tiny folds. Really nice feature, allowing easy access to the content of the blister. Resin casts are additionally protected by a piece of plastic foam, which holds them in place. All bases I've got are undamaged, with no bubbles, no holes, and without any casting flaws. All of them will have to be thoroughly washed in water with soap though (as all resin casts should be), because all were covered in tiny resin dust particles (visible on some photos), left after sanding bases flat.

All "Ancient" bases, no mattertheir shape or size, share some common elements - stone slabs destroyed by time, fallen columns, some larger broken statues. Everything is covered in some kind of ramblers. I particulary like leaves - both living and fallen ones - all of them are very thin, are perfectly cast, with no resin under them. They look really realistic (I tried to show this on some photos). Another really nice feature was found on flying base, where support of the actual model has form of ancient statue of some knight. Grown over with poison ivy, with two handed sword in hand, with head half covered by hood, it has a striking appereance. Unfortunately there is one small problem with this support, as it has totally flat, sanded off base too, and a place where it should be mounted on the base, has specific shape. It will be necessery to use a file, to shape a base of the statue a little. I can imagine using this statue as some kind of tabletop scenery too, or as a postument in some larger project.

Largest round 60 mm base looks excellent too. Its size allows to paint it in truly exceptional way, with some extra detailing and at the same time it has rather low profile - which is a big advantage for me. As I use bases for wargaming miniatures, I don't really like very high bases, which make models to look like some huge statues.

As I looked at these bases, I have had some very specific book in mind - one of the "Witcher" novels has a great scene, where Geralt visits Shaerrawedd, ruins of Elven palace hidden deep into the woods. This scene is full of sadness and a feel of glory long past, of beauty destroyed by time. I think these bases invoke such feeling in me too.

Great looking, quality product for standard price. Excellent especially for armies of forest creatures, I wouldn't look for anything else making an army of Wood Elves for example.

Photo of painted base is taken from Basicks website, to illustrate how the finished base could look like.